Music and the Disadvantaged: A Teaching-Learning Project with Headstart Teachers and Children. Final Report.

Young, William T.

This study investigated the effectiveness of a music program designed especially for disadvantaged children and implemented by personnel already involved in the operation of Headstart programs. A total of 12 Headstart centers in Texas and Louisiana were included, 2 of which constituted the control group. Each teacher participated in a 3-day workshop and was supplied with simple instruments, several recordings, and a lesson manual (containing 90 lessons). Subjective and objective evaluations of the teachers were made during the workshops. Measures of final ability and amount and percentage of improvement were used to determine the progress of the 76 experimental and 33 control children. Individually, the experimental children showed comparatively fewer regressions and far more individual improvement than did the control group. It was found that Headstart teachers, given minimal training and direction, produced substantial improvement in the music ability of their children. The report is divided into three sections: (1) introduction and methods, (2) results, and (3) conclusions and recommendations. Appendixes make up two-thirds of the report and include source materials and the full teaching manual. (ED)